Wire processing machines



March 17, 1970 LINGEN ET AL 3,500,877 I WIRE PROCESSING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 19s? 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 [9w ventars 2( g, VMW

D. LINGEN ET AL WIRE PROCESSING MACHINES March 17, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1967 Fig.2

In ventors March 17, 1970 D. LINGEN ETAL 3,500,877

WIRE PROCESS ING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 19s? 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.3

Z! 17 I l 5 19 Invpnfiurs March 17, 1970 UNGEN ET AL WIRE rnocmssme MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 26. 1957 Fig. 4

ventor's 942: 2%,) Md

United States Patent US. Cl. 140-2 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for processing wire coils of the type in which a wire coil to be processed is suspended on a feed shaft and separated turns of the wire pass through a processing chamber on a grooved roller on which are fitted concentrically disposed axially spaced discs, each one turn of the said separated turns being situated between adjacent discs; in which a bar is provided at a point preceding the point of entry of wire into the processing chamber, the said bar being disposed obliquely in the path of turns of wire between a suspended coil of wire and the said point of entry. The said oblique bar assists in the separation of thetu-rns of wire from the wire coil. A further and similar oblique bar may be provided at the exit of the processing chamber, at a point before a coil of wire being reconstituted from the processed wire.

This invention relates to an arrangement for the processing of wire coils, for example for blast-cleaning or straightening wire.

In previously-known machines for carrying out the above types of precesses, difliculties arise in effecting a continuous withdrawal of the Wire, turn by turn, from a coil thereof which is hung on a rotating feed shaft for delivering the wire to the processing machine.

In machines for descaling wire by blasting, a known arrangement consists in conducting the wire through a descaling chamber on a grooved roller which is fitted with concentrically disposed axially spaced discs for the reception between each two adjacent discs of one turn of the wire coil. The particular difficulty which arises in the practical operation .of such a Wire descaling machine is that of disentangling the turns of the closely reeled coil and of pulling the wire out of the coil, turn by turn, in order to expand the coil axially to permit the blasting agent to reach every part of the wire. After having run through the blasting chamber the turns of wire must then be reclosed to reconstitute the coil.

The same difficulty also arises in wire straightening machines in which the wire coils are similarly hung on a rotating feed shaft, the wire however being presented to the straightening machine in a direction tangential to the coil. In practice the rotating feed shaft imparts a tendency to the coils to run up against the following machine and thereby to prevent or make it more difficult for the coil to be unravelled. Furthemore continuous frictional contact between coil and machine result in the machine being damaged. Similar trouble arises when the wire leaves the machine and the wire is intended to reform a coil.

The arrangement according to the invention provides a solution to such difficulties, in which means are provided for retaining one side of the turns of a wire coil which hangs on a feed shaft before the wire enters the associated processing machine, thereby the wire may be extracted from the coil continuously turn for turn, and damage to the processing machine is obviated.

3,500,877 Patented Mar. 17, 1970 The invention consists of a machine for processing wire coils of the type in which a Wire coil to be processed is suspended on a feed shaft and separated turns of the wire pass through a processing chamber on a grooved roller on which are fitted concentrically disposed axially spaced discs, each one turn of the said separated turns being situated between adjacent discs; in which a bar is provided at a point preceding the point of entry of wire into the processing chamber, the said bar being disposed obliquely in the path of turns of wire between a suspended coil of wire and the said point of entry.

Further bar or bars may be provided after the point of exit from' the treating chamber obliquely disposed in the path of treated wire between the said point of exit and a suspended coil undergoing reconstitution.

The said bar may be a roller bar, or may have one or more roller cylinders mounted thereon, or may itself be a roller.

The bar has the effect of allowing only one turn of wire from the coil to slide past at a time, and of retaining turns between the coil and the said bar. Since the turns of the coil that have been wound on the reel have a certain pitch the coil has a tendency to travel on the feed shaft, but is forced by the obliquely-disposed bar to travel in the direction contrary to that into the treating chamber. This permits the turns of wire to be disengaged and to be extracted one by one from the coil.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, control means are provided for independently controlling the rotation of the grooved roller and of the feed or delivery shaft of the machine, whereby the speed of rotation there of may be altered or stopped. Such control means may comprise drive means which rotate independently at controllable speed the feed shaft, the delivery shaft and the grooved roller. In a further arrangement the feed shaft and/or the delivery shaft may be releasably coupled to one end of the grooved roller. By such control means the feed and delivery shafts may either be driven at the same speed as the grooved roller, or at a higher or lower speed, or be stopped. In the event of clutches being provided to couple the feed shaft and delivery shaft respectively to the grooved roller, the clutches may be engageable or disengageable during operation by remote control electromagnetically, pneumatically or hydraulically.

The feed and delivery shafts may be driven separately from the grooved roller, whereby the feeding of the individual turns from the wire coil into the treating chamber may be further controllable.

For the purpose of reducing friction between the obliquely disposed bar at the entry, and possibly at the delivery end of the treating chamber, and wire from the coil bearing thereon, the bar(s) may be provided with at least one sleeve which concentrically and rotatably embraces the bar. Preferably two axially adjacent sleeves may be provided, so that one can rotate on the bar in one direction and the other in the opposite direction, according to the relative movements of the wire against the said bar(s).

Embodiments of the invention as applied to a machine for cleaning wire by sandblasting are hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of FIGURE 1, on a larger scale;

FIGURE 3 is a portion of a longitudinal elevation of a similar but modified machine to FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a portion of a longitudinal elevation of a similar machine having a different modification.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2 of the drawings, a grooved roller 3 fitted with concentrically disposed axial- I spaced discs 2 rotates in a blasting chamber 1 which i provided in conventional manner with means for the dmission of a blasting agent. One turn 4 of an expanded lire coil 9 is received into the gap between each two djacent discs 2. A countershaft 5, which rotates in a diection contrary to that of the grooved roller 3 and which lay be driven thereby through gear wheels 11 or like means, prevents the individual turns 4 from springing out f the gaps between the discs 2. The grooved roller 3 is otatably mounted in bearings 12, whereas bearings 13 re provided for the said rotating countershaft 5.

Shafts 6 and 7 which project from the blasting chamer I, serve for the reception and delivery of the wire oils 9. In the arrangement illustrated in FIGURES 1 nd 2, the shafts 6 and 7 are firmly connected to the rooved roller 3 and rotation is imparted thereto by drive means not shown in the drawing. Before the wire enters he blasting chamber 1, an obliquely disposed bar 8 reains one side of the turns 4 of the coil 9. The wire coil is thus forcibly expanded and the individual turns 4 onsecutively run into the blasting chamber without being lastically deformed. The actual positioning of the bar 8 .epends upon the pitch of the turns in the coil 9, and he bar is so placed that for a given hand of rotation f the feed shaft 6 and the grooved roller 3, the wire coil will tend to migrate away from the bar in a direction ontrary to that into the processing chamber.

For the purpose of reducing friction between the wire tIld the bar 8 the latter may be fitted with a sleeve 10 dapted to revolve about the longitudinal axis thereof.

A further and similar bar 8 is provided after the point If exit from the processing chamber, where the wire turns close up and re-form a coil 9 on the delivery shaft 7. 11 wire straightening machines the provision of the second blique bar after the point of exit of the processing chamer is of course not required because the wire leaving a traightening machine is not recombined into a coil.

When the process of descaling a fresh wire coil is to egin, the wire is first taken into the blasting chamber 1 vnd threaded around the grooved roller 3. As soon as he leading end of the wire coil emerges from the blasting hamber the process of descaling by blasting the wire ommences whilst the grooved roller 3 keeps rotating. lhortly before the trailing end of the wire coil 9 enters he blasting chamber 1, a fresh wire coil is hung on the ecd shaft 6 and its leading end connected to the trailing 11d of the preceding coil 9 before this has been drawn ate the chamber. This procedure permits wire coils to be lescaled in a continuous process.

A further embodiment of the feeding device in wirerocessing machines is illustrated in FIGURE 3, which hows only one half of the machine, the other half, as vill be understood from FIGURE 1, being a mirror image f the first half, with the exception of the drive means as lereinafter described. The grooved roller 3 in the machine tccording to FIGURE 3 is rotated by a motor 14 through transmission comprising a chain wheel 23, a chain 27 .nd a second chain wheel 26. At the receiving end the ;rooved roller 3 is coaxially extended to form the feed haft 6, and at the delivery end which is not shown here is a corresponding extension forming the delivery haft. However, contrary to the arrangement in FIGURE the feed shaft 6 is not permanently coupled to the ;rooved roller 3, the connection being established by a eleasable clutch 17, which may for example be electronagnetically operable. The feed shaft 6 is supported by he neck 18 of the grooved roller 3 which extends through he hollow interior of the feed shaft. Concentric rotary learings 19 are provided between the extended neck 18 .nd the hollow feed shaft 6, which permit the feed shaft i and the neck 18 to rotate independently the one from he other. By disengaging the clutch 17 the feed shaft 6 :an be made to stop whilst the grooved roller 3 coninues to run. However, when the clutch 17 is engaged he feed shaft 6 is entrained by the grooved roller 3 and 4 rotates together therewith. The clutch 17 may be engaged and disengaged from an operating desk by remote control.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 4, a rotatable feed means is provided which is independently controllable from the grooved roller 3. In the same way as in the arrangement according to FIGURE 3 the grooved roller 3 is driven by a motor 14 through chain wheels 23 and 26 and a chain 37. The feed shaft 6 is coaxial with the grooved roller but separate therefrom, the delivery shaft being disposed in a mirror-image. The feed shaft 6 can be driven by a motor 22 through chain wheels 24 and 25 and a chain 38, independently of the grooved roller 3.

The provision of a releasable clutch between the grooved roller 3 and the feed and delivery shafts 6 and 7 respectively or of separate drive means for the grooved roller 3 and the feed and delivery shafts 6 and 7, permits the feed and delivery shafts 6 and 7 to be rotated together with, and at the same speed as, the grooved roller 3, or at a higher or lower speed or in a completely stopped position. The purpose of independent rotation of the grooved roller and of the feed and delivery shafts is to ensure a uniform withdrawal from the coil 9 and delivery of the wire turns into and from the treating chamber 1. Since friction between the wire coil 9 and the feed shaft 6 and delivery shaft 7, and the wire turns 4 and the grooved roller 3, is not the same, irregularities in the feed and delivery of the turns 4 of the wire coil 9 may occur when the feed and delivery shafts and the grooved roller revolve at the same speed. These irregularities can be controlled by the operator by suitably adjusting the speeds of revolution of the feed and delivery shafts 6 and 7.

The arrangement according to the invention permits wire processing machines to be substantially automatically and continuously supplied with wire by an orderly withdrawal of the wire, turn for turn, from a wire coil and in the same way the wire leaving the machine can be reconstituted turn for turn to reform the coil.

The obliquely disposed bar 8, as will be understood from FIGURES 1 and 2, may be provided with a single concentric rotatable sleeve 10'. Alternatively, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the sleeve 10 may be divided and consist of two independently rotatable sleeve portions 20 and 21, so that the sleeve can rotate in one direction, and the sleeve 21 in the other direction.

The provision of an obliquely disposed bar according to the invention is not limited to a particular type of wire processing machine. It can be used with advantage wherever wire coils are hung on a revolving shaft and the wire is intended to be continuously fed to a following wire processing machine, either to be descaled by blasting, straightened or submitted to some other treatment.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for processing Wire coils of the type in which a wire coil to be processed is suspended on a feed shaft and separated turns of the wire pass through a processing chamber on a grooved roller on which are fitted concentrically disposed axially spaced discs, each one turn .of the said separated turns being situated between adjacent discs; in which a bar is provided at a point preceding the point of entry of wire into the processing chamber, the said bar being disposed obliquely in the path of turns of wire between a suspended coil of wire and the said point of entry in such sense as to urge said wire coil, propelled into contact therewith by said feed shaft, away from said bar in a direction contrary to that into the processing chamber whereby said turns of said wire coil become separated and are consecutively run into the processing chamber.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which a bar is provided at a point succeeding the point of exit of wire from the said processing chamber, the said bar being disposed obliquely in the path of turns of wire between the said point of exit and a coil of wire being reconstituted from the said turns, and suspended on a delivery shaft.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the said bar is a roller bar.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the said bar has one or more roller sleeves mounted thereon.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 2, in which speed control means are provided for independently controlling the speed of rotation or stopping one or more of the said feed shaft, grooved roller and delivery shaft.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, in which the feed shaft and the delivery shaft are driven separately from the grooved roller.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 5, in which the said feed shaft and delivery shaft are releasably coupled to the said grooved roller.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7, in which clutches are provided between the grooved roller and the feed and delivery shafts, operable by remote control means.

9. A machine for processing wire coils of the type in which a wire coil to be processed is suspended on a feed shaft and separated turns of the wire coil pass to a processing chamber, in which a bar is provided at a point preceding the point of entry of wire into the processing chamber, the said bar being disposed obliquely in the path of turns of wire between the suspended coil of wire and the said point of entry in such sense as to urge said wire coil, propelled into contact therewith by said feed shaft, away from said bar in a direction contrary to that into the processing chamber whereby said turns of said wire coil become separated and are consecutively run into the processing chamber.

10. A machine as claimed in claim 9, in which a bar is provided at a point succeeding the point of exit of wire from the said processing chamber, the said bar being disposed obliquely in the path of turns of wire between the said point of exit and a coil of wire being reconstituted from the said turns, and suspended on a delivery shaft.

11. A machine as claimed in claim 10, in which the said bars are roller bars.

12. A machine as claimed in claim 9, in which the separated turns of the wire coil pass through the said processing chamber on a grooved roller, the grooves of which are formed by concentrically disposed axially spaced discs mounted thereon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,443,607 5/1969 Dittrich 147 1,956,399 4/1934 Nullmeyer 7239 3,348,394 10/l967 Giros 72135 FOREIGN PATENTS 407,015 8/ 1966 Switzerland.

LOWELL A. LARSON, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

